Nutrition is increasingly seen as a pillar of TB control. Discuss in the context of the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and Ni-kshay Mitra initiatives.

The WHO Global TB Report 2026 records a 38% fall in India's TB deaths since 2015 and 94% treatment success in drug-susceptible TB [1]. Part of the credit goes to India's decision to treat undernutrition as a comorbidity of TB, not a side issue. That makes food support part of treatment, not just welfare.

Why nutrition is a pillar of TB control

• Biological link: undernutrition weakens immunity. This raises the chance that a latent infection becomes active TB, and it slows recovery.
• Adherence: TB treatment lasts for months. Hungry patients who have lost their wages are more likely to stop early.
• Integrated screening: NTEP now checks for diabetes and undernutrition alongside TB, making care patient-centred [1].

Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY): state support

• NPY gives cash support for nutrition to notified patients, and the Ni-kshay portal tracks it [1].
• It sits inside the End TB goal of zero TB-affected families facing catastrophic costs [2].

Ni-kshay Mitra: community support

• It was launched with the PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (9 September 2022). Individuals, NGOs, co-operatives and companies adopt patients and give them nutritional, diagnostic and vocational support [3].
• 6,77,541 Mitras had enrolled and 45 lakh+ food baskets had been given out by March 2026. Over 2 lakh MY Bharat volunteers joined as Mitras [4].
• This Jan Bhagidari model also gives patients psychosocial support and reduces stigma [1].

Gaps

• Outcome data is missing: the 2026 headline figures do not include catastrophic-cost data, so the effect of the schemes on family finances is not reported [1].
• Uneven coverage: voluntary food baskets depend on donor interest, so patients in some districts get more help than others.
• Narrow measure: the 94% figure covers only drug-susceptible patients who are on treatment [1]. Drug-resistant patients need longer support.
• Funding: 96% of the programme is funded domestically [1], and donor money is shrinking worldwide [5]. Nutrition support therefore has to be built into health budgets.

NPY and Ni-kshay Mitra have made food part of TB treatment by combining state cash with community support. The next steps are to keep payments timely through the Ni-kshay portal, link the schemes with POSHAN Abhiyaan, and publish catastrophic-cost data each year. Done together, these would help India meet SDG 3.3 and the End TB goal of zero catastrophic costs [2], and move from controlling TB towards eliminating it.